Clutter tip of the week: Group similar things together? Not always

The OregonianCabinets in the garage provide a tidy "warehouse" space for storage.

The standard way of organizing our possessions is to group similar items together: Clothes go in the clothes closet, bathroom supplies go under the sink, pens go in the desk drawer, dishes go in the kitchen -- right? Well, not always.

I'm reminded of a kitchen rearrangement I once saw -- a friend's husband decided it was logical to put all the lids to the pots and pans in one place. Needless to say, the system broke down fast, proving logic can be overrated, or at least misused.

But even when the group-together rule makes sense, there can be a hangup: Sometimes, especially in a small house like mine, it conflicts with daily-use storage. See, things that are used daily need to be kept in what you might call "first-class" storage. Those storage places are the easiest-access, can't-miss-it spots, such as the nightstand, the front of the clothes closet, the shelf next to the door. When first-class storage is a limited resource -- and it often is -- what goes there is best pared down to essentials.

Let's take those bathroom supplies, for instance, such as a 12-pack of toilet tissue bought on sale. If those 12 rolls go under the sink, there's no room for anything else (if they even fit there).

What's needed is a place -- maybe in the basement or garage -- that you can designate as a warehouse for extra supplies. Sure, go ahead and keep a couple of rolls in the bathroom where they'll be handy when needed, but put extra ones in the "warehouse," where you'll go to replenish them.

Just make sure the warehouse is a pleasant, well-lighted spot, with the items arranged tidily so you can see what's there at a glance.

Ditto for holiday-themed dishes, extra pens (where do they all come from?), and so on. Moving them to warehouse storage makes it easier to access the items you use daily.